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What is Islam? Islam is a religion that began in the 7th century with the prophet Muhammad in Mecca. Muhammad believed that he was a messenger sent by God to teach people the right way to live. Islam is an Arabic word which means submission to God. The holy book of Islam is the Quran (Koran), and the centre for Muslim worship is the House of Prayer in Mecca. During the 6th century, Arabia had two powerful neighbours: the Byzantine empire and the Sassanian empire. The Byzantine empire was Christian and its capital was Constantinople which is now the city of Istanbul in Turkey. The people of the Sassanian empire worshipped the sun-god, Ahura Mazda, and followed the teachings of an ancient philosopher, Zoroaster. Islam grew and spread rapidly east and west from Arabia to become a powerful rival to Christendon. Muhammad had to leave Mecca because his teachings angered many of its citizens. He went to Medina where he was accepted and became an important religious leader. In 622, Muhammad made a special journey to Mecca from the city of Medina which is 350 km to the north of Mecca. This journey is known in the Islamic calendar as the Hirja. The Islamic calendar begins in the year 622. After the death of Muhammad in 632, Muslims came together to choose a new leader or khalifa (caliph) to be the successor of Muhammad. The caliph was to be the symbolic head of the Muslim community throughout the world. A religion that began with the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century Muhammad believed he was a messenger sent by God Muslims follow the teachings of the holy book, the Quran Muslims pray in the direction of Mecca, the centre for Islamic worship Islam spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and beyond
Islam spread rapidly with the conquests of the first caliphs, or Muslim rulers 750-1050 AD was a golden age for the Islamic world Arabia was at the crossroads of trade between Asia, Africa and Europe Trade and conquest led to cultural exchange and the spread of knowledge Cities like Baghdad and Alexandria became great centres of scholarship
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Early Islamic teaching encourage the pursuit of all knowledge that helped to improve peoples lives Arabic became the international language of scholarship Muslims translated important works from ancient Greece and Egypt Huge libraries were established in big cities like Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus
Astronomy was important to Muslims for practical reasons Astronomy contributed to navigation Observations of the sun and moon were used to determine prayer times and an accurate calendar Large observatories were established and new instruments such as the astrolabe were developed
Chemistry was not seen as a separate science, but was an important part of other industries and crafts Islamic scientists developed new experimental techniques and methods such as distillation Alchemy was important as a science of the cosmos and the soul
Islamic mathematicians built on the work of Greek, Indian, Persian and Chinese mathematicians Islamic mathematicians were interested in different number systems Developed algebra and geometry which was important in architecture and other technologies
Islamic medicine was based on the Greek model of the four elements and humours Disease was thought of as an imbalance of humours Pharmacy, combining herbal medicine and alchemy, was important Islamic law forbade dissections
Illustration from anatomical work. A miniature painting from a seventeenth century manuscript of Tashrih bi alTaswir, a treatise on human anatomy by Mansur bin Muhammad.
Arab lands were often dry and harsh environments Improvements in water technology were important for agriculture Other industries included manufacture of paper, machinery and scientific instruments
Religious divisions caused problems by the end of the 11th century Conservative theologians imposed a return to orthodox beliefs and rejected foreign sciences The European crusades and attacks by the Mongols weakened the empire